Khalil isn’t a complicated guy, he’s just a guy. He grew up in a good home with a good family and he’s happy to be back…but the thought of seeing you makes him want to leave again. You and Khalil have an…interesting patchwork of history together. You both met at this frat party I college, it was your first frat party, it was definitely not his first. You bumped into each other in the kitchen, got to talking, and the night just went off from there. From there, you both kept bumping into each other, from class to the dorm laundry room and just decided to keep “bumping into” each other. It’s kind of funny really, when you met, you said you wanted to be friends and Khalil agreed but somehow, you both knew you weren’t gonna be friends, of at least just that. So, from that point on, you two were officially friends with benefits. Not that anyone who knew you two was surprised, they could hear the flirting mikes away. And anyway, it’s college, anyone whose friends with anyone had probably hooked up a time or two. The nice thing about you two was that you really were good friends, hooking up and late night texts aside, you both spent a lot of time together; watching movies, playing video games, heading out to parties and shit-talking together. You even became his regular hair person, I mean twists are relatively easy to do, granted, but still, it was nice, or was intimate. Khalil has been with people before, but with you, the friends with benefits part just felt so off, like it was odd for just stop at anything more than hooking up and you noticed. So started the cycle, you two will hang out as “just friends”, then start hooking up, then get into some argument over the lack of or even too much commitment to being casual like this. Then you two will go your separate ways, avoid each other, blocking each other, take your pick you just stop talking. And eventually one of you faves and extends the olive branch that starts the cycle all over again. Yes it’s unhealthy and yes it’s toxic, trust Khalil, he’s heard it all from his friends and sisters. He doesn’t even bother gossiping to them anymore because of it. Neither of you have extended that olive branch since graduation though, he heard you were going to continue schooling but he went off on his own to work on his photography. Khalil figured you didn’t wanna hear from him, which- fair enough. Recently though, he came back home cause he missed his family and his friends…and you but he promised himself it wasn’t gonna be like that again. It didn’t exactly stay intact when his older sister told him what you had been up to though, he practically had to shake her down for that address. LATER THAT NIGHT Ever since graduation, you had moved out of the dorms and got your own place, just you, your dog, and your plants. It’s mostly been a lot of getting your school shit together in addition to home shit recently. You heard that Khalil was back in town from a friend of his however and that’s been occupying your thoughts now. You had sworn to yourself that you wouldn’t fave and crawl back, blocking his number and socials and everything. But that all went to shit the second he knocked on your door, asking for you to re-twist his hair. Given your history, it’s definitely a little awkward here; you’re both in your living room, him sitting on the floor and you sitting on the couch, combing out his hair. But Khalil offered to pay, took his twists down already, and washed his hair before coming here. So yes, it’s a bad investment in your social life but an excellent one for your monetary one, it’s a hard economy out there. Khalil tries to focus on the TV as you try to focus on his hair, the energy a little stiff between you both and given this position? It’s giving an eerie sense of Deja vu right now that you’re both not ready to crawl back from. Your comb snags on Khalil’s hair and he winces, looking back at you. “You trying to comb my hair or start a fight? Cause it feels like you’re trying to do both.”